Johannesburg – Ten more people died in overnight crashes, pushing up the already high road death toll since the beginning of the month, ER24 reported on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Vanessa Jackson said this was despite a decrease in the number of accidents attended to.

Two people died when a car slammed into a stationary one in pouring rain on the road between Welkom and Virginia.

Another three suffered critical injuries.

Jackson said in a one-vehicle accident on the N3 near Pietermaritzburg, a 3-week-old baby died after being ejected when the car flipped over. His parents were only slightly injured.

In Bloemfontein, a pedestrian died after being knocked over by a car.

Two people died in a crash in Parow. The details aren’t clear, said Jackson, but one of the cars involved is believed to be a state vehicle.

In a head-on crash near Paul Roux, in the Free State, three people died.

All three men were trapped in the mangled wreckage of what remained of their vehicles. The local fire department needed to use the Jaws of Life to remove their remains.

Shortly after 03:00, Witbank crews rushed out to the scene of an accident on the N12 which had taken place approximately 2km from the Watermeyer off ramp outside of Witbank.

A single vehicle had left the road and the vehicle had rolled into a roadside ditch.

The vehicle was barely visible from the road and one of the two occupants had died due to the nature of injuries that they had sustained.

The other patient was transported to hospital by the provincial services ambulance.

For more details go to http://www.news24.com

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – A Bluff security guard, whose hoax bomb threats caused a busy supermarket to be evacuated three times, has admitted to making the false calls, saying he wanted to impress his boss.

Shane Muller, 25, who worked as a security guard for Pick n Pay on the Bluff, said his R2 000 a month salary was no longer sufficient to support his growing family.

Overwhelmed by his financial situation, Muller, who has a Grade 6 education, hatched a plan to get a promotion.

It was simple, he told the Durban Regional Court last week: call the police about an alleged bomb at the supermarket and assist with the search and evacuation with such efficiency that his boss would have no choice but to promote him to supervisor.

Using his cellphone from the supermarket, Muller made the first call to police on December 1.

When the police and the Dog Unit arrived, Muller helped cordon off the area and assisted with evacuating customers from the centre. After a thorough sweep, no bomb was found and the police left.

“I heard an officer Thomas say to my boss that the security guards did a very good job,” said Muller when he pleaded guilty in court last week to three counts of unlawfully and intentionally communicating false information regarding an alleged explosion.

Muller also pleaded guilty to calling police the next day about a bomb at the Oxford Fresh Market, located near Pick n Pay.

He did not assist in that operation, he said.

On December 5, after his boss commended him on his efforts during the “bomb threat” and said he would “look into” making him a supervisor, Muller made his third hoax call and assisted once again, hoping it would speed up his prospects of a promotion.

“I thought my boss would give me a raise if I did a good job for a second time,” he said.

“I can understand that you wanted to get a promotion and you wanted to be commended for your work but how does that affect Oxford?” asked regional magistrate Anand Maharaj during mitigation of sentence.

Conducting his own defence, Muller pleaded with the court not to send him to jail: “I don’t know why I did that one. That was a big mistake. I’m a good guy now. I don’t do nothing no more (sic). I will go to Oxford and tell the owner that I’m very sorry for what I did, from the bottom of my heart, I’m very sorry. On my children’s lives, I will never do it again. You can ask my neighbours. I’m a good person. I mow lawns to make extra money.”

Muller is the sole breadwinner for his parents, girlfriend, and her four-year-old daughter. His girlfriend is five months pregnant with Muller’s child.

The two met when Muller was a witness to her former boyfriend’s murder.

Prosecutor Kuveshnie Pillay said it was an extraordinary case.

“People were in a state of panic and businesses lost large sums of money,” Pillay said.

In court papers John Morton, the manager of Oxford, said the business lost about R150 000 in the 2.5 hours they were closed.

“It was a busy weekend and we were averaging close to R200 000 per hour. We managed to get the shop ready for trade and open for customers but business was slow because customers were wary to return to the shop,” Morton said.

He attributed the loss to the evacuation of the store when the hoax call was made.

Handing down sentence, Maharaj described Muller’s actions as “sheer stupidity”.

Referring to the call about a bomb at Oxford, Maharaj said: “It was of no benefit to you so I can only presume it was a big joke for you.”

For more details go to http://www.iol.co.za

Maharaj told Muller that his only saving grace was that he handed himself over to the police.

Twenty-eight people were injured when two cars and a minibus collided about 50 kilometres north of Bloemfontein, paramedics said on Monday.

Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann said the accident happened at 11pm on Sunday night.

“One person sustained critical injuries and another two sustained serious injuries. The other twenty-five people were lucky to escape with minor injuries.”

Steinmann said the people were transported to hospital for further treatment.

The cause of the accident was unknown and would be investigated, she added.

-Sapa

By Obakeng Maje

Klerksdorp- A 27-year-old suspect was arrested for murder after he allegedly killed a 27-year-old suspect.

“The deceased and the suspect had an argument on yesterday at about 20:35pm when the suspect allegedly took out a knife and stabbed the deceased in a  chest” Captain Funani said.

The suspect was  also injured during the alleged incident and was admitted in a local hospital under police guard” She said.

He will appear at Klerksdorp Magistrate Court soon.

By Obakeng Maje

Taung- A 25-year-old pedestrian was allegedly killed after being hit by a metallic Opel Astra on the Mogareng Village road in Taung yesterday at about 03:45 North West police said.

“The deceased was allegedly crossing the road, when he was knocked down by the vehicle. He died on the scene” Captain Amanda Funani said.

Police are investigating a culpable homicide case. 

By Obakeng Maje

Hartbeespoortdam-North West police arrested a 59 year-old man after he stabbed a 57 year-old man to death.

This happened on saturday at Broederstroom where two men were playing cards together.

“according to information received, an argument ensued between them over money and the were engaged in a fight” captain amanda funani said. 

a suspect allegedly took out a knife and stab a 59 year-old several times after realising that he is no match to a 57 year-old man physically.

the victim was rushed to brits hospital where he kicked the bucket on the arrival.

police registered a murder case and a suspect will appear before magistrate soon.

Itsoseng Police are appealing to the communities around Itsoseng, Verdwaal and surrounding areas to assist in identifying an unknown body of a female estimated to be between 18 and 25 years.

The body  was discovered today 7:00am by a  passerby on an open field near Verdwaal number 2.

According to the information at our disposal the victim was assaulted on the head with an unknown object. She was wearing a pink T-shirt, red jacket, blue jeans and all star tekkies when she was found.

A case of murder has been registered. The motive of the incident is still unknown, and nobody has been arrested at this stage.  Anyone who might have seen or was with the victim before her death is requested to come forward with the information as it may assist the police in identifying the body and arrest of the suspect.

Itsoseng Police can be contacted on 

018 338 0000 or Crime Stop number 08600 10111. Alternatively, Warrant Officer Mokgothu can be contacted on 

082 416 0764.

Unedited!!!!!

Members of the public stopped the taxi driver after seeing the metro officer being dragged under the vehicle

A taxi driver who allegedly dragged a Johannesburg metro police officer a “considerable distance” is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday for attempted murder.

The officer attempted to stop the taxi on the M1 south highway in Johannesburg on Friday, metro police spokesman chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar said at the time.

He said members of the public stopped the taxi driver after seeing the metro officer being dragged under the vehicle near Corlett Drive.

The officer was taken to Milpark Hospital for treatment and was in a serious condition.

Johannesburg –

Transport Minister Ben Martins has urged motorists travelling on South Africa’s roads during the festive season to prioritise life above personal convenience, the department said on Sunday.

“Minister Martins says if each motorist aimed to save a life each time they got into their vehicles, the nation would make considerable progress in the fight against road carnage,” the department said in a statement.

“765 people have since been certified dead on our roads since the beginning of the festive season. Minister Martins has sent his and government’s heartfelt condolences to the families of those (killed).”

Martins said that despite all efforts by government, the private sector and civil society to curb road deaths, South Africa continues to see lives lost on its roads.

Often the situations that cause the fatalities and crashes could have been avoided, he said.

“Seventeen of the major crashes we have recorded since December 1 were head-on collisions due to dangerous overtaking,” the department said.

The department stated that with 46 percent of all road fatalities being pedestrians, it had implemented a pedestrian safety campaign.

Martins said it was unacceptable that lives continued to be lost despite efforts to raise road safety awareness.

“We need a 360-degree turn in driver attitudes if we are to succeed. People need a rethink of their responsibilities towards a safe and sustainable society,” he said.

Martins called on all traffic officers to not compromise when dealing with transgressions on the road and to deal decisively with reckless and negligent road behaviour.

He stated that corrupt traffic officers would not be tolerated by government.

“Any act of dereliction of duty on the part of any officer has potential consequences, sometimes even fatal,” said Martins. – Sapa

Benni McCarthy’s chances of playing at the African Nations Cup were effectively ruled out by coach Gordon Igesund after the Bafana victory over Malawi in Durban on Saturday.

Igesund says he understands McCarthy has a hamstring twinge and that it is unlikely he will recover in time.

The coach said he will not be selecting any players who are carrying injuries when he names his 23-man squad, which he will announce on December 30.

“The risk is too high to take injured players. I need everyone that I take along. I have not spoken to the player but I have spoken to his coach, Roger de Sa, on several occasions.”

The 35-year-old McCarthy is expected to join up with a 32-man preliminary squad on Thursday for a three-day Bafana Bafana training camp where his fitness will be assessed.

“I’m sure he’ll be honest at camp and he’ll tell me how it feels. We’ll also be able to see whether he will make it or not.”

McCarthy hurt the hamstring making his return for Bafana Bafana against Brazil in September in his first international in more than two years.

He has since played fleetingly for Orlando Pirates after a three month lay off but broke down in training last week again, his club said.

for more details go to http://www.supersport.com